Landlord of Hooton Arms in Eastham was presented a prestigious Tom Price Memorial Award after only a year in the village

Sep 21 2011 by Linda Foo Guest, Bromborough and Bebington News

THE landlord of a pub in Eastham has been given a prestigious community award after only a year in the village.

When Neil Lycett and his partner Nicola Orrell settled down at the Hooton Arms 14 months ago, they immersed themselves in village life and spruced up the pub.

Now a year on, the couple was surprised to be presented the Tom Price Memorial Award by Wirral Mayor Cllr Moira McLaughlin, on behalf of Eastham Village Preservation Association (EVPA).

Licensee Neil told the News: “It is really nice to be recognised, it was a shock. We just did it be part of the village

“We improved the property and got involved in the local groups by helping them, such as sponsoring them by putting on the food free of charge.

“We just wanted to help and get involved in village life.

“The property was quite run down when we came so we put new windows and roof on it and brought it back to the way it used to look. It is a traditional village pub and we wanted to give it a homely feel.

“The garden was over-grown so we tidied it up and turned them in to six allotments for residents to grow vegetables, and children come to see the chickens.

“I also took over St Anselmians Rugby Club for children, now I am the steward.”

Neil, who is originally from Middlesbrough, decide to move to Eastham with Nicola when their three-year-old son, William, was born.

Neil added: “Nicola is from Thornton Hough so when William came along we decided to move to Wirral.

“We love it here and are really pleased to be part of the village.

“I have also joined Eastham Preservation Association, and this award was unexpected.

Chair of the EVPA, Marjorie Hall, has lived in the village for 40 years and has been a member of the group for 37 years.

She said: “Neil and his family became part of the community and he has done a lot of things for the village.

“As a licensee of the Hooton Arms, he has done an awful lot.

“The Tom Price Memorial Award Neil received was a watercolour painting by local artist Stanley Clark. ”

“The memorial award has been going for 30 years and was set up in memory of the historian and anthropologist, Tom Price (1890 - 1980).

“Tom formed the EVPA in 1969 to get rid of the volume of traffic and tankers going through our village.”